World football’s governing body, FIFA, has defended the pace of ticket sales for the Club World Cup following another disappointing turnout at a group-stage match Tuesday evening.
Only 3,412 fans attended the clash in Orlando between South Korea’s Ulsan HD and South African side Mamelodi Sundowns – a stark contrast to the 22,317 who showed up for Chelsea’s opening match against Los Angeles FC in Atlanta, a stadium with a capacity of 71,000.
The tournament has been mired in controversy since its launch, drawing criticism and legal challenges from domestic leagues and players’ unions, who accuse FIFA of pushing ahead with the expanded format without adequate consultation on scheduling and player welfare.
There have been some large crowds, including more than 80,000 people who watched Paris Saint-Germain’s victory over Atletico Madrid in Pasadena. FIFA said Tuesday that close to 1.5 million tickets had been sold so far.
According to FIFA, 340,000 fans attended the first eight matches, which it called a “powerful demonstration of club football’s global appeal.” It noted that four of the five top-selling group-stage matches were still to come.
Manchester City will make their tournament debut against Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca on Wednesday evening.
The prize money on offer is substantial, with City or Chelsea standing to earn more than $100 million if they win the competition.
Despite the financial incentive, former City defender Danny Mills described the tournament as “pointless.”
“I don’t get it, and I don’t understand what kudos it brings,” Mills told William Hill Vegas. “It might be a nice day out for the minnows like Auckland City FC, but for players from the top clubs – like Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Manchester City – at the end of their careers, they are not going to care if they won the Club World Cup or not.
“It’s a made-up competition for FIFA to make money. It’s as simple as that. There is no prestige in winning the competition whatsoever.
“I don’t really know if many people are watching it, but there doesn’t seem to be much interest in the matches at all. It’s an unnecessary tournament.”
